We hope this newsletter finds you safe and healthy in these enduring strange and challenging days. Normally we’d be reveling in anticipation of the 4
th
of July holiday, always one of our favorite days in our harbor. However, as the coronavirus pandemic persists and resurges, this holiday will be like none in the past. We urge you all to remain safe, take care of yourselves and be mindful of those around you, so hopefully we can salvage some of the fun days of summer we are all used to.
We have a few topics to update you on today, including sharing with you the latest marina redevelopment plan. We’ll save that for last and hit these items first:
- Boater Parking Management Plan
- Vessel Seaworthiness Standards and Inspections
- Storage of Personal Human-powered Craft
- Coastal Commission Update
Boater Parking Management
Let’s start with a quick note on the 4
th
of July holiday weekend. As you may have heard, the City of Dana Point has cancelled this year’s Dana Point Harbor fireworks show, as many other cities have. However, with nearby state and county beaches closed, we still expect big crowds this weekend in our harbor. You’ve likely read the Marina’s newsletter with information on parking for this weekend; if you missed it, you can
find it here
.
Moving on, we continue to be asked regularly about how and when the Marina plans to implement its new boater parking management system. We covered this topic in depth in a
previous newsletter
; that newsletter remains largely accurate, so we urge you to read it if you missed it the first time. But we do have a few updates. We understand from The Marina at Dana Point that they are targeting mid- to late-July to begin issuing the new parking transponder tags. We expect this to occur by appointment, where slip tenants bring their vehicles to the marina office to have the tags adhered to their vehicles. Only vehicles registered to tenants named in their slip license agreement and their immediate family members will receive a tag, up to four per slip tenant.
What about our guests? There remains a lingering rumor that our guests may have to pay to park. We have made our position repeatedly and excessively clear to marina management that our guests should never be made to pay to visit us on our boats; they never have and never should. And marina management continues to tell us that they don’t plan to charge our guests for parking. Please be assured that we are following this closely.
We understand that the Marina plans to use a 3
rd
-party app that allows authorized tenants to issue guest parking passes to our guests, whereby you enter your guests’ names and vehicle information and they are issued a barcode to present at the kiosk. Often these systems charge an administration fee of a few cents per pass; we are waiting for additional information and will share it with you when we get it.
Look for additional information from DPBA and the marina team later this month.
Vessel Seaworthiness Standards and Inspections
Dana Point boaters have always been required by our slip license agreements to ensure our boats remain safe, seaworthy and clean. However, these rules historically have been loosely and sporadically enforced. The Marina at Dana Point has informed us that they intend to begin actively enforcing standards for safety, seaworthiness and cleanliness.
Your Dana Point Boaters Association supports the concept that properly maintained and actively used boats are essential to a thriving and successful marina community. We have all read stories of fires originating in neglected vessels consuming entire docks, or poorly maintained electrical systems rapidly depleting neighboring vessels’ zincs or damaging electrical equipment. Many of us have observed suspect vessels on our own docks. Hence, we support reasonable enforcement of vessel safety and seaworthiness standards as described in our slip license agreement. That said, we have communicated to marina management that these standards must be appropriate and reasonable for a publicly owned municipal marina like ours. Further, these standards must be objective and quantifiable and provided to marina tenants in advance of any enforcement measures. Vessels found in violation must be given sufficient opportunity to correct deficiencies before any punitive actions are imposed. In recent conversations with marina management, we believe we are aligned on this matter. We also understand from marina management that specific safety and seaworthiness standards are in development and will be shared with DPBA and marina tenants soon. Please know that DPBA intends to review the Marina’s standards and implementation plan to ensure that our boaters can reasonably attain them. Again, more on this in the coming weeks.
Storage of Personal Human-powered Craft
Another long-standing and seldomly-enforced rule from our slip license agreement is the prohibition of storing human-powered craft (paddle boards, kayaks) on our docks. However, this has become so pervasive that it is engrained in the culture of being a Dana Point boater. There is not a dock in our harbor where you won’t find dozens of HPCs stored next their boats. Also, paddle boarding and kayaking are integral to the lifestyle of Dana Point Harbor and consistent with protections around affordable coastal access. Yet, we also understand from marina management that they plan to more actively enforce this matter, too.
DPBA recognizes that loose enforcement of this rule has been abused, and many of us often navigate an obstacle course of HPCs on our docks. We support enforcement measures that ensure safe pedestrian access and compliance with ADA standards. That said, we believe HPCs can be stored properly within the footprint of our leased slip space. We have encouraged marina management to develop an allowance wherein racks or floats could be used to store HPCs within available slip space. We are pleased that they seem amenable to implementing a solution in this regard. We expect to work with marina management on specific guidelines on this matter.
In the meantime, if you store HPCs adjacent to your vessel in a way that might interfere with your neighbors’ clear access along the docks, please do your part to move your toys to within your slip space.
Coastal Commission Update
As you’ve read in various notices posted around our harbor, last fall Dana Point Harbor Partners submitted their application to the California Coastal Commission for a Coastal Development Permit to redevelop our marina. Not surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the pace of this and other elements of the Harbor Revitalization Plan. We understand from CCC staff that they are finalizing their report on the permit application and it will likely be submitted for a public hearing this summer, perhaps as early as August. However, we believe later in the summer or early fall is more likely. DPBA is coordinating with the California Coastal Commission on a conference to review and offer our input on the CDP application. As soon as a public hearing is scheduled, we will share details and our position with all of you.
Marina Plan
So many of you have asked for it, and here it is.
The latest marina redevelopment
plan
. (This is a high-resolution PDF, so be patient with loading.) This isn’t exactly hot-off-the-press, but we recently received a high-resolution version of the marina redevelopment plan that was submitted to the California Coastal Commission in the application to rebuild our marina. Not much has changed since the version that was presented last year. Please take a close look and let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Nothing is final until it is built.
Your Support
And finally, this: Your Dana Point Boaters Association is managed by a team of volunteers who are enduring the same crisis as the rest of you, tending to our families, our day jobs, and the anxiety of wondering what’s next. We ask for almost nothing beyond your patience, understanding, and occasionally a little financial support to keep this organization afloat. We even offer some
home-grown merchandise
to make donating a little easier. Every little bit counts towards protecting and advancing recreational boating in Dana Point Harbor.
Thank you for your support.
James Lenthall, President